2019 Finalists

MEET OUR FINALISTS

KHAYE CELINE MAGGAY

HAPPIEST PINOY – YOUTH

At a very young age, Khaye Celine has fought her way through life. She has been
constantly bullied by other kids due to her disfigured hands and feet caused by
a hereditary disease. Living on a day to day basis, Khaye would scavenge used nails
and scrap metals on the streets to help her parents provide food for the family.
Determined to rise above life’s challenges, she believes that life has something
good to offer. Today, she is a scholar taking up Bachelor of Science degree in Management
Accounting at University of Makati while serving as the youngest pastor in their
ministry.

FRANCISCA TUMAMPIL

HAPPIEST PINOY – SENIOR CITIZEN

Francisca is married with 3 children (2 sons and 1 daughter), of which, the eldest
is born with special needs. Francisca didn’t give up on raising her son, this required
a lot of patience and hard work -- she would often multi-task: she would take care
of the needs of her son while aspiring to become a great teacher. As a seasoned
teacher in Koronadal, South Cotabato, Francisca has organized literacy programs
for our Muslim brothers and sisters in the region and continues to serve the community
as head of the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs handling 27 barangay chapters.
Through her efforts, Francisca was able to provide opportunities to senior citizens
through various livelihood programs.

JAYSON DELA FUENTE

HAPPIEST PINOY – PERSONS WITH DISABILITY (PWD)

Born to an impoverished family in Negros Occidental with no access to public healthcare
and free vaccinations, Jayson Dela Fuente was afflicted with polio during infancy.
Determined to rise above poverty, Jayson pursued his education taking on odd jobs,
while supporting his family and nine other siblings. After years of hard work, Jayson
is now a teacher with a master’s degree in Education major in General Science and
will pursue his doctoral degree in Education.

HERCULES SORINGA

HAPPIEST PINOY – MANGGAGAWANG PINOY

Hercules story has been featured in an MMK episode entitled “Alkansya” that made
him known as Tatay Hercules. He has three children wherein the second child named
Huggy, undergone three heart surgeries due to Congenital Heart disease while the
youngest one died because of pulmonary stenosis. Despite these challenges, he focuses
on the positive side of the situation by appreciating those people who helped him
in fulfilling his role as a father. Because of this, he becomes someone who doesn’t
forget to give back to the community. He became a volunteer in Tacloban for Typhoon
Yolanda victims, a volunteer in relief operations in Bohol, and a volunteer Reservist
to the Philippine Airforce participating in disaster relief and recovery efforts.

ZALDY BUENO

HAPPIEST PINOY – PROFESSIONAL

Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it, this adage
perfectly describe the story of Zaldy Bueno of Gumaca, Quezon Province. He even
stopped his schooling to work as his school’s waiter, became a working student,
and served as his mother’s teacher in DepEd’s Alternative Learning System Class.
His undying dream to provide a better life for his family propelled him to greater
heights. Zaldy got the most sought after award in the teaching field and is the
founder of PADYAK, providing bicycle units to less fortunate students who struggle
to stay in school.

RODRIGO ROBLE JR.

HAPPIEST PINOY – LINGKOD BAYAN

Rodrigo struggled most of his life, coming from a poor family with barely enough
to eat. In spite of this, he chose to become a Social Worker as his way to help
those that are less fortunate. His exceptional projects are, (1) the development
of “Donation Drive ng Tubig” during the war in Marawi where he collected almost
8,000 liters of water equivalent to Php 140,000.00 with the help of Philippine Army,
(2) organized “Pamaskong Handog para sa Kabataan”, where they share some toys, food,
and a surprise magic show for indigent children, and (3) the development of ‘SW
Spotted’ page where he shares social workers’ success stories, encouragement, and
positivity.

FORTUNATO JANUTO

HAPPIEST PINOY – OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS

Similar to millions of Filipinos who believe that life abroad is for the better,
Fortunato left home and braved the deserts of Iraq in 2003 to provide for his family’s
financial need. Because of the ongoing war, he—along with other workers from the
Philippines — entered Iraq and traveled 24 hours via land from Kuwait, risking their
lives in the process. Despite the fear and uncertainty brought by the war, he worked
diligently as an administrative staff for a construction company for three (3) years
before finally coming home to the Philippines in 2006.

MARK DAVID CEREZO

HAPPIEST PINOY – ENTREPRENEUR

Mark David is known as the Philippines ‘Rubberman’ who founded "Pinoy Malikhain"
- an organization that gathers volunteers who are willing to serve street and abandoned
children by transforming scrap rubber into toys, sculptures, puppets, and other
forms of art. Undeniably, this organization has become an advocacy more than a business
that will continue to bring smiles and inspiration to children through the art that
they do.

ALFRED SANTOS

HAPPIEST PINOY – EMPLOYEE

Alfred has come a long way from being the son of poor farmers in San Miguel, Bulacan
to now the provincial and regional TESDA Idol. Currently, he is a marketing officer
at OLM Institute, a liaison officer in an assessment center and an OJT coordinator
of the senior high school division of TESDA courses. Indeed, his persistency has
become his greatest strength towards achieving a good and successful life.

LEOVY JOHN TERRADO

HAPPIEST PINOY – LGBTQ

Leovy John knew about his sexual orientation at an early age, but he ignored this
fact as he was the only son and the eldest in the family. At 15, he finished a vocational
course on food and beverage and worked at a bar where he stayed for three years
before finally resigning, as he desires to continue his studies. Currently, he serves
as the family’s breadwinner by helping his sister on getting her college degree
and also exploring work opportunities in order to lift his family from poverty.